


Healing

by FruHallbera



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: BAMF Armitage Hux, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Protective Kylo Ren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23298715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FruHallbera/pseuds/FruHallbera
Summary: Hux manages to get himself seriously hurt on a mission gone wrong and it falls to Kylo Ren to decide his fate.Originally published on Twitter as a fill to a fandom game prompt.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 133





	Healing

“Ren! Stay behind me!" 

"Hux, no, you stupid foo- Hux, _NO_!" 

Ren manages to divert the blaster bolt aimed at his side at the very last moment and tears his attention away from Hux long enough to deal with the little cluster of Resistance soldiers thinking too highly of themselves. He dispatches them swiftly if a bit messily and limps after his errant General. The temptation to let the enemy have their way with him is strong but his desire to look Hux in the eye and utter the words _"I told you so"_ loudly and clearly is even stronger. 

Ren _knew_ this was a trap. It was obvious from the get-go. A badly hidden and poorly guarded Resistance data bank brimming with top secret documents? As if. He jogs along a dimly lit corridor cursing Hux, the Resistance and his own stupidity to the lowest pits of Sith hells. 

He _should_ have denied Hux outright, tell him how idiotic his plan was and just endure the inevitable sulk and the slight increase in assassination attempts. Or let Hux come on his own and then retrieve his corpse for a state funeral and an assurance he's truly dead. 

Why he chose to accompany his irritating second-in-command on this doomed planetside mission is beyond him. 

(If he is honest with himself it’s because he’s _worried_. Hux has become almost desperate lately, uncertainty and fear over his position in the hierarchy of the First Order drowning his usually sharp mind enough for him to grasp at straws and apparently overlook obvious traps. Ren needs to keep him safe because – because he needs Hux to deal with the admin while he focuses on important matters.) 

(As if anyone could replace Hux.) 

He summons the Force to locate Hux but then he rounds a corner and finds that he doesn't actually need his powers this time. He stops, and stares at the scene before him. The floor is littered with the corpses of enemy operatives. As are the walls. And, yes, there's some on the ceiling as well. They are shot and stabbed and impaled on - things. He steps gingerly over the bodies and follows the trail, amazed and slightly concerned at what he finds at the end. The logical conclusion is that this is all Hux's doing. There simply isn't anybody else here since they got separated from their stormtrooper escort, but none of this fits in the image of the uptight, narrow-minded and superbly annoying officer he has of Hux. Someone stirs but Ren's closing fist stops their movement abruptly and with a crunch. 

He finds Hux at the end of the corridor, mere steps away from the door. He has lost his greatcoat, his uniform is torn in places and there's so much blood and grime on him Ren can't tell if he's all right until he turns slowly towards Ren, says "it took you long enough," and crumples down on his knees, gasping in pain when he hits the ground. He coughs up blood and spits it out, pressing a hand on his side. Blood seeps out from between his fingers and something odd twists Ren’s guts. 

He takes a few cautious steps towards Hux and crouches down, gestures vaguely at the scene of carnage behind him. "You did this." 

"Nice of you to notice, Ren." Hux grimaces and then ducks his head. "Apologies, Supreme Leader." 

Ren gets on his feet, closes the distance and kneels again. He shoves Hux slightly back and begins to unbutton his uniform jacket, slapping his hands away when Hux makes alarmed noises and tries to stop him. "I should have you court martialed," he mutters, peeling the blood-soaked garment off Hux's shoulders. "I didn't peg you for an actual idiot but here we are." 

Hux says nothing. He keeps his head down, clutching the fabric of his jacket in his bloodied, trembling hands. Ren must pry his fingers loose to get him to finally shed it. He lifts Hux’s shirt up carefully and takes a sharp inhale of breath. The wound on Hux's side is - bad. Ren may not be a medical expert, but he's spent too many hours of his life on the battlefield to know when a wound is beyond hope. "Fuck," is all he manages to say, touching the edges of the burnt skin and exposed muscle carefully. 

Hux shivers and coughs, wincing at the pain. "You should go, Supreme Leader. I've called for an extraction team and they should be here soon enough." 

"I'm not leaving you behind," Ren hears himself say. He means it, too. Nothing short of an asteroid impact will make him leave Hux to lie here, wounded and alone. After all they’ve been through together, he feels it’s the least he can do. For some strange reason he can feel his heart beginning to break. 

Hux manages a weak laugh. "There's not much of me left to drag to court soon enough. Unless you plan to make my corpse stand trial." 

Ren eases the well-used brass knuckles off Hux's hand and tosses it aside. He takes a firm hold around Hux's waist and maneuvers them both to lean against a wall. He tucks Hux against his chest and tries to wrap his cape around them both. 

"Why are you doing this? Either finish me off right now or leave me be." 

Ren wishes he had an answer. "Shut up," he growls instead. 

"I led us here," Hux says. "Into an obvious trap I didn't see. You warned me against it, but I refused to listen. This is my fault and I'm being punished for it." 

"You're right. This is your fault." 

"I'm glad we finally agree on something." Hux closes his eyes and leans into Ren, leeching his body heat. Ren holds him tighter. He has fantasized about Hux's death plenty of times. Wanted him gone. Plotted against him. And kept him close and safe and protected, even following him on a doomed, stupid mission he only approved because he wanted Hux being taken down a peg or two. 

This is not what he wanted. Wants. Faced with the reality of Hux's imminent death Ren's entire being rebels against the idea. 

"I didn't think it would end like this," Hux whispers. He runs his fingers along the seam of Ren's collar. "I thought - I wish -I suppose it doesn't matter now." 

"Tell me," Ren says, suddenly anxious to keep Hux talking. 

Hux bites his lip. His fingers are cold against Ren's skin when he cups his cheek and cranes to kiss his lips softly. "A deathbed confession. As it is." 

Something shakes loose in Ren when Hux's lips touch his and solidifies into something new when they part. The Force roils around him and he taps into it greedily, drawing in all the power he can. The entire compound shudders, electricity sparking in the air and dust falling from the rafters. Hux whimpers in his hold when he digs his fingers into the wound and focuses harder than he has ever done before. He’s untrained in this and what he’s about to do will hurt him, too, and badly. Healing is a job for those in the service of the Light Side and Ren is most definitely on the opposite side but despite his best efforts the Light is still in him, buried so deep into the very core of his being extracting it altogether would probably kill him. He’s learned to maneuver around it and ignore the occasional call but now he chases after it, wrenches the connection open and bends it forcefully to his will. This will not be neat or painless and the medics aboard the Finalizer will be left unimpressed but none of it matters if Hux is alive. He forces the torn tissue to knit back together, makes the blood stay inside the severed veins as he patches them up the best he can. He's never presumed healing to be easy and it isn't, it drains him in a way not even Snoke's most grueling exercises never did. Still he keeps pouring his energy into Hux. They are both shaking and clinging to each other for support and Ren knows he should stop and pull back before he's utterly consumed but he can't, the Force flows too strongly through him, chipping him away piece by piece. 

"Enough." Hux's fist is curled around Ren's cape and his face is pressed against his neck. "Enough, Ren! That's _enough_ !" His voice cuts through the haze and confusion like it has all those times before and Ren is able to tear himself free, roaring with the effort and pain. Now it's Ren's turn to seek warmth from Hux. He's shivering and his ears are ringing but Hux is held firmly in his arms and most importantly, Hux is _alive_ and he’s - he’s giggling. He's nosing around Ren's ear and shaking with mirth bordering on hysterical. 

He keeps squirming until Ren loosens his grip and Hux straddles his hips. He leans their foreheads together and tries to look Ren in the eye, failing miserably even after closing one of his. "You," he declares and snorts with laughter. He shoves Ren’s shoulders and leans back so quickly he almost topples over. Ren catches him at the last moment. Hux flails his arms and shrieks in surprise. He pauses, looking over his shoulder at the amount of dead bodies left in his wake and a grin splits his face. 

"I killed all those people!" He says, pointing at the carnage and dissolves into another bout of giggles. Ren frowns at his rosy cheeks and dilated pupils and sighs when he realizes Hux must be high on the Force. The General is now pawing at Ren's chest and licking his lips, trying to make sense of the complicated engineering required to open a zipper. 

Ren takes Hux's hands into his own and directs them to the safe ground of his own sides. Hux blinks at him in confusion, then his blinking becomes heavier and heavier and he slumps forwards, completely boneless. Ren catches him yet again and props him against his shoulder. His mind is reeling. How did this twig of a man cut down so many enemies? And following that, how in the hell has he not been successful in his numerous attempts at Ren's life? Hux mutters something in his sleep and snuggles closer. He's soft and warm in the circle of Ren's arms. How _did_ he do that? How did he kill all those people? How close should Ren be keeping him now? Is he _drooling_ on his tunic? Ren's train of thoughts is interrupted by the sound of familiar engines outside. He gathers what dignity he can muster while sitting on the floor of a dirty corridor, cradling a First Order general like a newborn baby. The door screeches open and stormtroopers pour in, running to cover their leaders and securing the immediate surroundings. Hux is lifted from Ren's lap and laid on a gurney. Ren ignores the attempts at helping him and gets up on his own. 

He follows the troopers and Hux to the shuttle waiting for them and makes the medic on board stare at him nervously when he crams into the small room with her and Hux. He plops down on an empty cot and rubs his face, exhausted. The medic looks at the partly healed wound at Hux's side, then at Ren, and back at the wound again. She bites her lip and sets to work. Ren lays back, lifting his dirty boots on the white linens. Hux has some serious explaining to do when he wakes up. 

Ren decides to keep an even closer eye on Hux as he recovers. Maybe even set up office in the medbay. Hux is vulnerable and not out of danger yet and even though Ren can now feel Hux in the back of his mind, a steady heartbeat reverberating in the Force, a facsimile of a bond, he knows he'll be happier with a more hands-on approach. He drifts off to sleep thinking about the kiss Hux gave him. Yes. The General certainly has some explaining to do. 


End file.
